100 Reasons to Believe New Testament History
60. Josephus
Josephus was the commander of the Jewish forces in Galilee in A.D. 66. After he was captured by the Romans Josephus recorded history for his captors in several lengthy volumes.
In his “Antiquities of the Jews”, Josephus twice mentions Jesus. The most famous of these, the testimonium, reads:
“Now there was about his time Jesus, a wise man, if it be lawful to call him a man, for he was a doer of wonderful works, a teacher of such men as receive the truth with pleasure. He drew over to him both many of the Jews and many of the Gentiles. He was the Christ. And when Pilate, at the suggestion of the principle men among us, had condemned him to the cross, those that loved him at first did not forsake him; for he appeared to them alive again the third day; as the divine prophets had foretold these and ten thousand other wonderful things concerning him. And the tribe of Christians so named from him are not extinct at this day.” (Antiquities, XVIII,33)
This passage, disputed by some as a later Christian addition (though on inadequate grounds A), affirms that Jesus was known as a miracle worker B and a respected teacher. Josephus also affirms that Jesus was crucified under Pontius Pilate at the insistence of the Jewish religious leaders, and makes mention of the Christian belief in the resurrection. Josephus, no Christian himself, thus gives us excellent corroboration for the New Testament testimony regarding Jesus.
60. Josephus - Notes and References
A. Because Josephus never became a Christian, many rightly argue that he would have never referred to Jesus exactly the way the text reads. Though this reading is found in every extant manuscript, it probably is not entirely original, but was “worked up” by an early Christian scribe.
Paul Maier relates how a discovery of an Arabic manuscript containing Josephus’ Testimonium corresponds almost exactly to previous scholarly projections of what he actually wrote: “In 1972, Professor Schlomo Pines of the Hebrew University in Jerusalem announced his discovery of an Arabic manuscript of Josephus written by the tenth century Melkite historian Agapius, in which the passage in question translates as follows:
“At this time there was a wise man named Jesus, and his conduct was good, and he was known to be virtuous. Many people among the Jews and other nations became his disciples. Pilate condemned him to be crucified and to die. But those who had become his disciples did not abandon his discipleship. They reported that he had appeared to them three days after his crucifixion and that he was alive. Accordingly, he was perhaps the Messiah, concerning whom the prophets have reported wonders. And the tribe of Christians, so named after him, has not disappeared to this day.” Paul L. Maier, “Eusebius: The Church History” Kregel Publications, 1999, p. 378
Also note that following the testimonium, Josephus mentions Jesus again: “But the younger brother Ananus who, as we said, received the high priesthood, was of a bolt disposition and exceptionally daring; he followed the party of the Sadducees, who are severe in judgement above all the Jews, as we have already shown. As therefore Ananus was of such disposition, he thought he had now a good opportunity, as Festus was now dead, and Albinus was still on the road; so he assembled a council of judges, and brought before it the brother of Jesus the so-called Christ, whose name was James, together with some others, having accused them as law-breakers, he delivered them over to be stoned.” Antiquities XX, 9.1
One would expect further identifying information concerning Jesus if this was the only passage referring to Him. This is another evidence that the testimonium is not an interpolation.
B. “Josephus describes Jesus’ actions with a Greek phrase translated here as surprising feats. Those are the same Greek words used in Jewish Antiquities 9.182 to describe the activities of the prophet Elisha.” John Dominic Crossan, “The Birth of Christianity, Discovering What Happened in the Years Immediately After the Execution of Jesus, Harper San Francisco, 1998, p.13
“Jesus’ reputation in this field was clearly what Josephus had in mind when he spoke of him as a ‘wise man’ who performed ‘astonishing feats’, or ‘paradoxical deeds’. Josephus’ choice of the word paradoxim is one commonly found to denote ‘miracle’ in Hellenistic Judaism.” Ian Wilson, “Jesus: The Evidence”, Weidenfield & Nicholson, London, 1984, p.99